HEPA FILTERED VACUUM CLEANERS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE.
This information, is brought to you by Absolute Air Cleaners and Purifiers Inc.


First, some quick history about vacuum cleaners!

The first vacuum cleaner was invented and Patented in the USA by Robert Taber in 1869. MR. Taber invented this wood and canvas hand pump controlled vacuum cleaner in his Chicago IL. He called it The Whirlwind.

The first electric motor operated vacuum cleaner with a cloth dust filter bag with cleaning attachments was put on the market in 1908 by whom else, The Hoover Company in New Berlin Ohio.

In the 1940's HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters were invented to filter out radioactive dust particulate contaminants in bomb shelters during the atomic bomb tests. These filters were designed to capture particles down to 0.3 microns in size at efficiency ratings of 99.97%. This standard is still used to this day for HEPA vacuum cleaners and HEPA air cleaners for asbestos and lead abatement. However HEPA vacuum cleaners are now used everyday in homes and businesses to clean and remove household dust and allergens to improve the indoor air quality you breathe.

HEPA Vacuum cleaners come in two basic styles, upright and canister. The upright HEPA vacuum stands by itself and is a single unit, some with or without an attachment hose to clean hard to reach areas with specialized vacuum tools. All upright vacuum cleaners tend to leak more dusty air back into the environment. Also since the rug beater bar is permanently attached to the case of the vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner is almost worthless if the beater bar fails.

HEPA canister (Better Overall Choice) vacuum cleaners have a smaller mostly more powerful, compact designed case that will roll along and follow behind you as you vacuum the floor, carpet, furniture or upholstery. A long hose is attached to canister vacuum cleaners so you can reach those hard to get areas with the many vacuum tools that are available for them for easy cleaning of most any surface. The rug beaters are detachable from the canister type vacuum cleaner units. They are often much more powerful then the ones found on uprights. This is because they are powered by their own separate motor. If an electric motor powered rug beater breaks down on a canister vacuum cleaner, it can still be used to clean many surfaces while the rug beater is being repaired or replaced.

Important Design Information, There are different designs of HEPA canister vacuum cleaners available to you. The most common is a case made of plastic with a disposable paper dust collector bag to catch the dust from your home and into the vacuum cleaner. Be aware that many of these so called HEPA vacuum cleaners can and do leak dusty air through air gaps in their UN PRESSURIZED plastic cases and around the openings that surround the HEPA filter itself. The dirty air can then pass through the exhaust side of the vacuum cleaner and back into your indoor environment to breathe and react to! Another important fact to know is, Both HEPA and non HEPA vacuum cleaners pass the air flow from the vacuum cleaner tools being used and then into the unit. The dirty air is then passed into the dust containment bags located inside of the vacuum cleaners tank and then onward to the motor where the air is then forced out of the vacuum cleaner through the exhaust side of the vacuum cleaner.

The COMMON problem is, when the dust bags containing the dirt become about one third full, the fine dust particles plug the pores of the paper dust collector bags. This restricts a tremendous amount of air flow to the motor which will cause the vacuum cleaner to lose suction while putting a strain on the motor reducing its life. This restriction of air flow to the motor can cut the cleaning ability of the vacuum cleaner up to 80%! That's why most people end up replacing their costly less then half full dust collector bags far too often. And their vacuum cleaners as well!

Important INFO On Water Filtered Vacuum Cleaners, There are 6 or 7 brands of vacuum cleaners on the market that use water to trap dust particles instead of a proper government certified HEPA filter. We have found these water vacuum cleaners to be inefficient, heavy and bulky. For years the companies that produced these water filtered vacuum cleaners boasted how they were superior to HEPA vacuum cleaners and all others. This was until a few independent testing laboratories tested them with a laser particle counter and proven that they leaked a whole lot of dust back into the air! Now some of these same companies are adding a replaceable HEPA filter into the exhaust side of their water vacuums. This defeats the entire concept about water being a better filter and the dirty water vapor mixed with air blowing into the HEPA filter may promote mold and bacteria growth in the HEPA filter itself! Also water vacuum cleaners are often heavy, bulky and it can be a real mess filling them with tap water and then dumping the moldy, smelly, dirty water from the units every time you operate them! Most of these water vacuum cleaners offer chemical fragrances to add into the water to cover up the moldy odor they release into the air that your breathe while vacuuming. Many people with allergies or asthma will react to these chemicals! Also it is another added cost to operating these units on top of the cost of replacing the HEPA filters. We recommend that you stay away from water filtered vacuum cleaners!

What We Recommend & Why: We have been in the allergy products, air cleaner and vacuum cleaner business since 1989. Throughout the years we have been distributors for both the Miele and Nilfisk HEPA vacuum cleaner companies. We thought that both of these vacuum cleaners were top quality. Only after we had witnessed the Vacuum cleaner smoke-dye test, did we discover how wrong we were to believe that the other HEPA filtered vacuum cleaners on the market actually worked. We saw the smoke-dye test preformed on just about every brand of vacuum cleaner on the market. (Including those with HEPA filters and with water filtration) Under controlled conditions, smoke with dye was sucked into each of the many brands and models of vacuum cleaners that were in the test. During the test, we could plainly see the smoke-dye pouring out of almost every brand of vacuum cleaner. The smoke-dye was pouring from every crack and crevice in the case, including from the pre-filters, HEPA filters, motors and dust bags. We saw the same effect on every bag- less type and water filtered vacuum cleaner. (Excluding the ) When the smoke-dye test was preformed on the HEPA Vacuum Cleaner, not one bit of smoke-dye escaped from this great unit. Not one bit of smoke-dye could penetrate through the sealed HEPA Air filtration system or out from the sturdy sealed case of the HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaner! We could not believe how terribly these other brands of vacuum cleaners were put together. The first thing that came to mind was WOW, how much bacteria and moldy dust had to be pouring out of these other vacuum cleaners only to be blown back into our breathing environment. No wonder people get sick when they are vacuuming their homes. All of the other vacuum cleaners that were included in the smoke-dye test were being advertised to the public as allergy free! What a rip off! We now understood that just because these other brands had a HEPA filter or a water filtration system inside of them, it did not mean that these other vacuum cleaners were actually sealed and allergen free as advertised. It was obvious that these other vacuum cleaner companies were negligent by not telling the public that their so-called filtered vacuum cleaners still leaked dusty air that could be loaded with dangerous bacteria and molds. We immediately ordered one of the s so we could test it out to see how well it cleaned and operated. When we received our , we removed it from the box, and were pleased to see how easy it was to set up. The ample 1000 Square inch certified HEPA filter, motor filter and the dust collector bag fit into the like clockwork. In five short minutes, we were vacuuming our carpets, tile and hardwood floors. The 's Ametek 2 stage 22,500 RPM motor is very quiet but extremely powerful. The motor driven rug beater bar is very powerful and it easily lifted the dirt and debris from the carpet and into the flow of the vacuum cleaners powerful suction. Its smart looking case is both sturdy and lightweight as it is made out of a composite material like Kevlar. It was apparent that the was out performing the Miele, Nilfisk and every other vacuum cleaner that we had previously tested or sold. The 's unique cyclonic technology allows the air to bypass the dust collector bag by going over it instead of through it like the other brands do. This allows the dust collector bag to fill up with dust and debris without losing power to the motor. The is made in the USA and it's estimated lifetime is 35 years plus! It will serve you and your family for many years to come. We truly feel that the is by far the highest quality and most user-friendly HEPA vacuum cleaner on the market. It will clean your home better then any other vacuum cleaner in the world while keeping your indoor air quality clean and clear of potentially dangerous allergens, bacteria and mold filled dust.

Two great resources for your HEPA vacuum cleaner needs can be found at http://www.1vacuumcleaners.com/ and http://www.aircleaners.com/